A Rainy Day Pastime

The gray skies outside my window last Thursday indicated that a long day inside the house was upon us.

Just after breakfast, inspiration hit.

Our hall closet is full of puzzles, games, Legos, craft supplies and more, most of which hadn't been touched in the six weeks my children have been out of school.

Some days I might have simply instructed them to choose something out of the closet with which to play. However, I knew it would be much more interesting if I turned it into a "let's clean out the closet" activity.

Both girls helped me pull items off the shelves, recalling with delight these wonderful playthings they had forgotten they had!

After selecting a few things to give away, the next couple of hours were spent putting together puzzles and playing games that hadn't seen the light of day in months. In the process, I got some quiet time and a nicely organized closet!

The next time you're facing a rainy day, head for that craft closet, toy box or game shelf that's rarely used. You'll get something accomplished and your children will find "new" treasures to occupy them!

Find more tips at Works for Me Wednesday hosted by We Are THAT Family.

From Work to Play

It begins as a chore.

The tools are gathered; a long garden hose, a soft mitt, a bucket of soapy water.


What follows is part work, part play, a bit of teaching interwoven with splashing and spraying.


As their squeals fill the summer afternoon, a clean vehicle emerges, along with two sopping wet girls who have enjoyed time with their daddy.


It's a gift - the ability to mingle work and play. Yet the greater gift is the memory made, the moments spent together in the spray of some water and suds from a bucket.

Unwrap the gifts of the everyday at Tuesdays Unwrapped hosted by Chatting at the Sky.

Buying While the Buying's Good

My summer shopping trips to the grocery store look somewhat different than those that occur during the school year. Since I have two lovely helpers assisting me, it is even more important that I prepare a list ahead of time and have my coupons organized and ready to use.

A great money-saving tip that I am still learning to maximize is to stock up when there are seasonal sales. I knew that with July 4th at hand, my Publix would most likely have fabulous sales on items like hot dogs, buns, ketchup, mustard, etc. They didn't disappoint me! I bought the items pictured below for $36.94 and saved $59.80.


We would all agree that the best deal is free - and that's what the mustard was. A Buy One, Get One Free sale made the cost of each bottle $.90. I had two $.50 off coupons which doubled to $1 off and one $.30 off coupon which doubled to $.60 off. Therefore, with overage, I got three bottles of mustard for 10 cents total! Lest you think that this mustard will go to waste, (especially since I already have two bottles in my pantry), it won't. I'm donating four bottles to our church for use during Vacation Bible School.

Soon I'll be planning ahead so that I can stock up on baking supplies during November and December. I remember noticing last year how butter, flour, sugar, etc. were at great prices during that time. Once fall arrives, I will search for coupons to match with the sale prices to get the items even more inexpensively. [Side note: I've heard that you can freeze butter; I haven't tried it, but let me know if it's worked for you.]

Once we're through shopping, my daughters get quite excited about moving to the checkout line and watching the monitor total our purchases. We all enjoy seeing what my total is before coupons, then watching it go down as the coupons are deducted. I'm sure the cashier and bagger are somehow hiding their smiles as my girls do a running commentary on this process. As this week's total climbed to over $60, my seven-year-old stated that when she grew up, she would never spend that much on groceries! She seemed to feel much better when my total dropped down into the thirties. It provides yet another opportunity for training, this time in the area of being a good steward!

Have you found any great Fourth of July sales? Let me know how you've been saving money lately!

Find more tips for saving money at Frugal Friday hosted by Life as Mom. See how others saved on their shopping trips this week at I Heart Publix.

Summer Learning: Studying U.S. Presidents

With Independence Day on the horizon, I chose U.S. Presidents as this week's theme for our summer learning program.

Our local library has quite a collection of the series of biographies by David A. Adler entitled A Picture Book of.... We checked out a number of them, including titles on George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Dwight D. Eisenhower. While these are a very easy read for my nine-year-old, the author does a good job of weaving an interesting storyline and including basic facts about the person.

For longer books, I thoroughly enjoy the Childhood of Famous Americans series. Both my husband and I remember reading these when we were children; whenever I spot them at used bookstores, I buy them to add to our collection.

I haven't read every book in either of the series above, so I can't endorse each individual one, but have found the ones I read to be engaging and age-appropriate.

I typically allow my children to choose which presidents they would like to read about; however, this time I required that one day be spent reading about Ronald Reagan. While he certainly wasn't the perfect president, he was a decisive leader, an inspiring communicator and was able to convey his heartfelt love for our country in a way that made me (in my teenage years at the time) proud to be an American.

Do you have a favorite series of biographies? Are there any Presidents or First Ladies whose lives have inspired you? Please share!

photo courtesy morgue file